Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!
And you thought your road was bad? This was the road into Fairyport, Fairy Lake, Huntsville, Ontario, taken sometime between 1917 and 1930, from the Joy McCaskill Collection on Muskoka Digital Archives.
In 1876, Frederick May and his wife, Elizabeth Carter, homesteaded with their children on the south shore of Fairy Lake.
In 1890, they sold the property to John L. Baker, a son-in-law of the neighbouring Holinshead family. The Fairyport name was already in use, and a summer tourist home was established. When Baker’s wife died in 1898, the property was sold to Sarah and John Lye, who in 1908 sold it to Helen Brooks Smith.
A parcel of approximately five acres on the far west of the lake frontage was sold to Frank Stewart Mearns between 1904 and 1906 and became known as Methven. An article in the Huntsville Forester in 1906 notes that Mr. T.H. Hungerford was managing the summer resort, which consisted of a three-storey hotel and 11 other dwellings, five of which were two-storey cottages. The attractions included fine spring water, croquet, row boats and canoes, and a piano for entertainment.
After 1908, several owners followed, some of whom had their own cottages on the waterfront. Between 1913 and 1916, Edwin John “Jack” Ecclestone acquired all the original land grants except the Methven property. In 1917, he and his wife Emma Llwyd and their two children, Elaine and Llwyd, became year-round residents at Fairyport. The original Hotel burned in 1929, but it was replaced in the early 1930s with an Inn comprising a lounge, a dining room that could seat 40 guests, and a kitchen. The old farmhouse was expanded to accommodate guests. After Jack died in 1932, Emma continued to manage Fairyport in the summer and built a new cottage for herself. By 1939, there were eighteen buildings on the site plus garages, workshops, and icehouses. A distinctive feature was the large Fairyport sign that could be seen at a great distance across the water.
Emma Ecclestone ensured a memorable vacation for her guests. There were masquerades, Sunday walks, land and water sport days, bonfires on the beach, musicals and sing-alongs, as well as card games.
Guests were invited to visit the neighbouring farmer, Brown, to enjoy the hayloft and the milking of the cows.
Ross and Ann Brooks were caretakers of the property for many years, and Bessie Gurnon was the head cook for twenty-five years. After Bessie died in 1950 and Emma Ecclestone’s retirement, the resort was renamed Timber Bay. Meals were no longer served, the cabins were removed, and trees began to reclaim the land. Llwyd Ecclestone had inherited the property from his father and, in 1962, gave lakefront lots to his nephew, John Mackay, and his niece, Joy McCaskill. Joy’s son Kip and his family continue to live on part of this parcel. John Mackay and his three children now own Timber Bay, which has evolved into a private retreat offering short-term rentals, rather than the bustling resort it once was.
Do you have interesting photos to share of days gone by? We’d love to see them! Email: [email protected]
See more Wayback Wednesday photos HERE.
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How far back do you need to go for it to be ‘Way Back Wednesday’? Hope this is far enough. Fairyport and Timber Bay have always been lurking there on the fringes of my life and memory. Some is vague recollection and some are certain memories.
I believe that, somewhere in the 40’s and 50’s,the caretaker team at Fairyport were Alf and Mary Holinshead. If the spelling is wrong, so be it. That is the spelling on my parents wedding certificate. Alf and Mary stood with them as witness when Mom and Dad were married. Somewhere in old photos there is a picture of my mother as a young girl, standing in the water with the ‘Fairyport” sign behind her.
After Ross and Ann Brooks retired from Timber Bay, my uncle Geo. and his wife Mary were custodians for a number of years. Mary is Ross and Ann’s daughter, so it was a sort of family progression. They, Geo. and Mary, must have taken on the job around 1968 or so. So we visited from time to time.
Over the years, a lot of cords of wood were cut and lots of maple syrup was made in the bush at Timber Bay. Lots of cottages cleaned, grass cut and the rest. Geo. was pretty good at fixing things and his hand was turned to a variety of jobs at Timber Bay. Most locals became used to the whine of the big Rotax engine that powered the Kitfox airplane he had built. Lots of people have looked down from that little plane as he banked over the bay and swung in for a landing.
I read this piece about Fairyport and Timber Bay. Up ’til then had never really thought about it much. But it’s amazing how, sometimes, little pieces all fit together.